TubeNet

Saw this on ebay and wondered of the "experienced" crowd could venture an informed opinion on the key of this sousa.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

Eb. "American Standard" was a trade name for H.N.White (of King fame), and there is a very similar looking Eb King in the White/sousaphone section of Horn-U-Copia

thanks. thought it liiked a little "light" for BBb

harold wrote:An Eb would have a fake tube running over the shoulder.

Not necessarily! Go to either Brassdad's or my links above; notice that the bell comes right out of the third valve and doesn't make ANY detours for tuning slides or other lengthening - just continues on around. Notice also that the third valve slide tubing is too short; that is, it does not make any switchbacks to make it long enough if it were BBb. You ARE right; many Eb's have that blind tube, but you can't always count on that.

harold wrote:I disagree - I believe this horn is in BBb. An Eb would have a fake tube running over the shoulder.

Definitely an Eb, as Bloke describes. The length of the valve tubing is another immediate giveaway. There is significantly less total tubing than there would be on a BBb.

What's misleading on these is although there is a full second loop, the total opening is very small. The scale is hard to tell from this type of photo, but if you put it next to a BBb it would become obvious. The main problem with this design is that it can be a little tight for the larger of us.

Buescher also made Eb sousaphones and helicons with this type of body.